Chestnut Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean beef stew meat
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon dried sage
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef broth
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled eggplant
• 2 cups quartered small red potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cooked, shelled, and halved chestnuts (about 1 1/2 pounds in shells)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Trim fat from beef. Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes. Combine beef and 3 tablespoons flour in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag, and shake well to coat. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add beef, and cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Add 1 1/2 cups water and next 6 ingredients (water through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.
2. Combine cold water and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl; stir well. Add flour mixture, eggplant, potatoes, chestnuts, and tomatoes to beef mixture; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and stew is thick. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.